من بشار الأسد إلى مجتبى خامنئي _بقلم إبراهيم حميدي لمجلة المجلة_
·6 min
The episode begins by describing Bashar al-Assad's life as a medical student in London during the early 1990s, far from political ambitions. His older brother Basel was the expected heir until a fatal car accident in 1994 changed the succession plan. Bashar was called back from London and groomed for leadership, leading to a constitutional amendment that placed him in power after his father's death in 2000, effectively turning Syria into a hereditary republic. The episode then recounts the 2011 protests, subsequent war, and Assad's eventual flight in 2024. It transitions to Iran, where Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in 2024, and his son Mujtaba was appointed as successor by the Council of Experts. The analysis draws parallels between the two cases, noting both heirs spent significant time in London. It highlights that neither Bashar nor Mujtaba gained power through competition or experience but were born into privilege. The episode explains how hereditary succession disrupts regime dynamics, turning former partners into subordinates and creating internal conflicts. It contrasts the Syrian and Iranian systems, noting differences in political structures but similarities in succession patterns. The episode concludes by questioning the legitimacy of hereditary rule in republics, using Syria's collapse as a cautionary tale about the contradictions such systems create.
